Destiny: The Taken King – Bungie Apology and Collectors Edition changes. (Videogame chatter)

This week at Bungie, we’re working hard to fix what’s wrong with the Collector’s Editions for The Taken King. You’ve voiced your objections. We agree wholeheartedly. Now, our attention is focused on creating solutions. These things take time, so pardon our silence these past few days. In moments like these, actions speak louder than words.

In developing The Taken King, one of our goals has been to celebrate you and your triumphs. E3 was a place to reveal the new adventures we hope to send you on, but our conversations there didn’t do justice to our plans to honor your legacy.

Don’t take it from me. Here are some words from Luke Smith:

I am Luke Smith, Creative Director on Destiny: The Taken King.

Many, many years ago, I wrote to you each week in this spot. We talked about Battle Rifles, we talked about stuff we weren’t going to talk about, and at some point I did a horrible hand-drawing of an upcoming map and teased you with it in the Weekly Update.

Anyone who knows me knows I can be sarcastic, anyone who remembers podcasts I’ve done knows that I can be pretty blunt, and anyone who’s watched me in a ViDoc knows I’m pretty unpolished.

However, most of you don’t know me.

Reading my interview with Eurogamer and imagining it came from some random developer of a game I love – that random developer looks like an Asshat.

But that Asshat was me – and those words rightfully anger you.

I’m sorry.

My words made it sound as if Bungie doesn’t care about their most loyal fans.

We do care. We are listening. And we will make it right.

Here’s what we’re doing about the Collector’s Edition of Destiny: The Taken King…

We’re actively working to make the digital content from the Collector’s Edition available in a $20 upgrade bundle (suggested retail price), available on 9/15/2015. If you purchase a stand-alone version of Destiny: The Taken King, or already have, you’ll be able to pick up the digital items as soon as they are available.

If you have decided to pick up the Legendary Edition of Destiny: The Taken King at retail, you can also elect to pick this up if you want to upgrade into a Collector’s Edition.

If you purchased the existing Digital Collector’s Edition, and you already owned Destiny and both expansion packs, we’ll have some additional information for you soon.

If you want to get caught up on all of the options available for Destiny: The Taken King, you can view the details here. (Note: You won’t see the Collector’s Edition Upgrade we described above, yet. We’re working on it.)

For those looking for a little more context about Emotes and Class Items in The Taken King, we will be introducing new Class Items with stat attributes. These will provide players with another gear slot that can contribute to both your Guardian’s look and build preferences. The Class Items included in the Collector’s Edition are a welcome addition for players looking to level up newborn Guardians or fresh subclasses, but they are not the only new Class Items available in Destiny: The Taken King. This is part of our focus on making the game more rewarding and adding more variety options for players. The same goes for Emotes.

So, that’s what we’re doing about the Collector’s Edition. Here are some other questions, and answers, about some other topics many of you care about.

“Hey, I have Destiny and all its expansions. Do I really have to buy stuff I already own to play The Taken King?”

The Digital Download is for existing players who already own Destiny and both expansion packs, and are ready to jump straight into The Taken King this September.

“Hey, I’ve been here since day one. What do I get?”

If you already have a Light Level 30 Guardian, or if you’ve picked up and played both The Dark Below and House of Wolves, then you’re a VIP in The Tower’s book. They’ll reward you accordingly with a victory lap that will include a permanently exclusive set of items.

When you stride through the Tower, people are going to ask you where you got those wonderful toys. You’ll nod and let them know you earned them. It’s a Year One thing, and they just wouldn’t understand. And they won’t ever be able to get their hands on their own set.

And we’ll have more fun stuff for you to announce in the very short term future, just for you.

Thanks for caring enough to sound off. We heard the feedback, loud and clear. We’ll talk more soon.

To be continued…

This is part 1 of 2 of the Bungie Weekly Update. Tune in tomorrow for the usual fanfare, including a report from our friends on the Destiny Player Support team, the Movie of the Week, and more.

DeeJ, out. For now.

What do you guys think of this change so far? Let me know in the comments below!